F1 News
Wolff hopes for turnaround at Monza: 'But there are some unknown factors'
- Sandy van Wijngaarden
At the Belgian Grand Prix, the Mercedes team managed to secure another victory. At Zandvoort, this speed seemed to have completely disappeared. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is hoping for a better weekend in Italy. He is also looking forward to Andrea Kimi Antonelli's F1 debut.
After a strong result in Belgium, George Russell finished seventh and Lewis Hamilton eighth in the Netherlands. Toto Wolff speaks of disappointment. "It was a disappointing weekend in Zandvoort. We didn't perform to the level we expected," the Austrian told reporters.
"Lewis drove a strong race to recover to the points, but qualifying out of position limited the returns. George meanwhile suffered with high degradation and therefore didn't have the pace to fight with for the top-six."
Wolff hopes for improvement in Monza
Wolff is hoping for better results in Monza, although there are still many questions due to the new asphalt laid on the track. "The team is already working hard analysing all the data to understand what caused this. Whilst it's a quick turnaround, we have the opportunity to bounce back straight away in Monza. I am confident we can do so."
"It is a very different circuit to Zandvoort, and likely even quicker this year with some of the changes they have made," Wolff said. "We will also need to understand the impact of the track resurfacing that has been carried out. Monza is always a fascinating challenge for both teams and drivers, and one we are looking forward to."
The team boss is looking forward to Antonelli's debut in Italy. "The atmosphere is always special as the Italian fans are passionate about their racing. That will be even more so in FP1 as Kimi Antonelli steps into George's car for a rookie session," Wolff said.
"Kimi has been part of our junior programme since he was 12 so this is an exciting moment for both him and the team. I am sure he will enjoy the experience of driving in front of his home crowd, and in turn I am sure they will be excited to see a new Italian talent on track. We look forward to seeing Kimi in the W15 on Friday morning and contributing to the team's start to the weekend," Wolff said.
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton
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